New Balance 576

A classic shoe brought back to life

The New Balance 576 is a classic. It is very durable and comfortable. As with all New Balance sneakers, the 576 comes in many widths and that’s why it is so hard to find a pair that fits you perfectly in a shopping mall. Your best chance is the internet. I think the price for this model is comparable to other similar brands.

Although described as a walking shoe, many owners find that it’s perfect even for light jogging and tennis. It has a minimalist design with durable leather. Some models come with Velcro instead of laces, which is pretty handy when in a hurry.

The first New Balance 576 shoes were manufactured in the 80s with a different name and were marketed and sold mainly in the United States East coast, particularly in New York where they were pretty successful.

New Balance 576

Lack of success in the rest of the US however meant that the manufacturing process was halted, leaving the factory with unused fabric.

Chance had it that during a working business to the US, one of New Balance’s sales representatives in Germany found the fabric and took it to Europe where he resumed the manufacturing process, this time giving the shoe a different name, 576. This turned into an instant success, but after a few ears the popularity declined and they finally removed it from the product line.

The New Balance 576 shoe was brought back to life in 1997 when it was decided to use high quality materials like pigskin suede in a number of eye catching color combinations.

The success of the “Scarlet Feather”, “Salad Bowl Green” and the “Moulin Rouge” color mixes meant that a year later new materials would be used and further develop the New Balance 576 shoe, making it one of the company’s many successful stories.